Apparatus for making artificial fuel by distillation.



No. 783,624. PATI-INTIIII IEB. 28, 1905.

i I. I. DAVIS.

APPARATUS POR MAKING ARTIFICIAL FUEL BY DISIIILLAIIGII. APPLICATIONPILBJ) JULY 11. 1901.

un. 'resse/t.

lils'iirn Patented February QQ, ttlt'lti..

au Vinnen..

SPECIFXCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. *763,621i, datedFebruary 28, 1905.

Application flied July 11,1901. Serial No. 67,917.

To all mil/0111, z'ff; 'lu/r1.7] cm1/cern:

lie it known that l, JouNl. Davis, a citizen oi the United States,residingatrlan Francisco, in the county ot' San Francisco and State oiCalifornia, have invented certain new and use- Ylul improvements inr'itpparatus Yfor Making Artilicial Fuel by Distillation, oil which theAFollowing is u speciiication.

My invention relates to the man uiacture o l5 artilicial "fuel, and moreparticularly to an apparatus i'or carrying out a process of producingartiliciahi'uel products described in an application for Letters Patentliled by me July l, 1901, under the Serial No. 66,772. That process,generally speaking, comprises the mixing of a hydrocarbon withcarlmnaceous or carbonii'erous material and the subjectingl ot themixture to heat, whereby partial distillation is effected, leaving as arcsidunm a coinbustible mixture of the hydrocarbon and cann bonaceonsmaterial adapted to lorm a fuel or a part of a fuel.

rl`hc apparatus which the subject of the present application is shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal section.liig. E2 is an end elevation, partly broken away.

A. represents a structure of brick or metal, adapted to inclosc theapparatus, and which preferably lined with {ire-brick or otherrcliractory material. 1l/Vitliin this inclosure is a series oi pipes Bof oval, elliptical, or otherwise elongated cross-section vertically,arranged one beneath another and connected to form a continuous passage.The connections can be made by elbows from pipe to pipe or, as shown inthe drawings, by hanging walls n, which in connection with the inclosingstructure torni passages i pre'ler to make these pipesor stills byconnecting two ap proximately halt-round sections li' by plates li, allsecurely riveted together.

ln thelower part of the inclosure is a turnace U, separated 'lrom theseries ot' pipes by a crown U, having' openings d to admit heat.

Untside the inclosing wall is a lecd-hoppor lil., in counnunication withthe Lipper one ol: the connected pipes, which projects liieyond theinclosing structure. Vltxtending through each pipe of the series is ashaft lli, upon which mounted a conveyor-flight (l, which [ills thebottom olI each pipe, but allows room above it lor the escape of vapors,and all these shalts are geared together in any suitable way, as by thesprocket-gearing shown, so as to drive the [iights in the properdirection to carry material through the whole series. Any number ofpipes can be used, according to the desired capacity oi the machine.lCach pipe has an outlet ll, which projects lroin its top at one endthrough the wall ot' the inclosingI structure.

ln operation carbonaceous material, prelerablyin aiinely-rflividedstate, is mixed w ith a hyu lrocarhon, such as crude petroleum, and islied into the hopper, or, it' preferred, these substances can be i'edtogether or separatelyinto the hopper and subsequently mixed in theirpassage through the apparatus. '.lhcsc substances lalling upon thebottom of the upper pipe are seized by the upper conveyor and earricd tothe other end of the machine, being tl ioroughly turned over, mixedtogether, and incorporated in their progress. Exposed to heat from theYfurnace distillation commences, and such vapors as can be separated bythe more moderate heat at the top pass olii' through the Lipper partoit' the pipe and escape at the opening at the end opposite the inlet,to be afterward condensed. The mass olI material 'tails through theconnection between the upper pipe and the neXtand, traveling in theopposite direction, is exposed to a higher temperature, together withagitation, mixing, and stirri ng by the second conveyor, and gives oil'distillates in the same manner. Passing tothe succeeding pipes, the sameoperations are repeated nntil in the last pipe or still there remainsacou1- bustible residuum composed ol? heavy hydrocarbon and carhonaceousmaterial thoroughly incorporzu'ed and suitable lor use in or as anartilicial luel and produced bythe one continlr ous difstillingoperation.

lhe exitlpipe l for the product connects with the lowerniost pipe orstill and is prei? erably made tapering, as shown, to a certain point,alter which it continues lor a suilicient distance as a cylindricalpassage. lhe diameter ot' the cyliiulrical portion should be the same asthe diameter ol the blocks,` brirpiets,

or other formsof the fuel. It is to be noted,

however, that as that portion ot' the discharg'epipe beyond the taperingpart is really a mold it can be of any desired cross-section other thancircular, according to the shape which such briquets or forms are tohave. By means ot' the pressure exerted by the conveyer in the lowermoststill 'the residuum of distillation is forced out into the tapering'part of the discharge-passage, and is hence put under compression, sothat the matei'ial iills the non-tapering part of the discharge-passageand there molded to its cross section. As it emerg'es it is cut ott' inany suitable way into blocks, briquets, or forms ot' the desiredthickness. lit will of course be understood, however, that materialdischarged from the lower still may be collected as a mass and thensubsequently pressed into shape by molding machinery ot' any desiredconstruction. The discharge-passage is also a cooling' device in orderthat the material may leavethe apparatus properly cooled before exposureto the air.

vSuch a cooling' device is shown in the Vt'orm ot' a water-bath Laroundthe diseharg'e-pipe. lt is an important feature ot' the apparatus thatit is designed to exclude cold air throughout. ln open-air treatment itis diflicult to obtain the proper degree oi temperature to cause thehydrocarbon to penetrate the carbonaceous material. Ylt' the temperaturebe urg'ed under the vessel, there is danger ot heating' the vessel tosuch an extent that vaporization ot some ot' the hydrocarbons, which aredesirable on account of their binding' action, may take place, and thereis also danger ot' charring', carbonizing', or coking the residue.

By carrying on the process in a closed apparatus the temperature can beregulated so as to avoid any cohing ot' the pitchy substances,especially as the mass is continually kept in motion. The same apparatuscan, however, be used in agglomerating a binding' composition previouslyprepared with other materials, so as to produce an ultimate fuel, or it'it be desired to increase the hardness otl the binder the heat can be soincreased and regulated by well-known means as to distil otf lighteroils until the residuum is ot' thc proper consistency. Indeed, the heatto the required degree the apparatus can be used to form acommercially-valuable coke from a mixture ot' hydrocarbons and suitableca'rbonaceous or carbonit'erous material.

Having thus `fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. A distillation device comprising a passage with a lower portion openat both ends;

said passage having a conlined upper vaporf space, a 'feed-inlet, adischarge-outlet, and vapor-exits.

2. A distillation device comprising a passage with a lower portion openat both ends; said passage having' a confined upper vaporby increasing'space, a feed-inlet, -a discharge-outlet, and vapor-exits; and means formoving' material through the passage.

3. A distillation device comprising' a passage with a lower portion openat both ends; said passage having a confined Lipper vaporspace, afeed-inlet, a discharge-outlet, and vapor-exits; and a conveyer withinthe passage.

et. A distillation device comprising', in combination, a passage with alower portion open at both ends; said'passage having a confined uppervapor-space, a feed-inlet, a dischargeoutlet, and vapor-exits; heatingmeans; and means `t'or cooling the residuum ot' distillation.

5. A distillation device comprising', in combination, a passage with alower portion open at both ends; said passage having' a coniined uppervapor-space, a feed-inlet, a dischargeoutlet, and vapor-exits; means formoving material through the passage; 'heating' means; and means forcooling' the residuum ol distillation.

6. A distillation device comprising, in combination, a passage with alower portion open at both ends; said passage having' a contined uppervapor-space, a feed-inlet, a dischargeoutlet, and vapor-exits; heating'means; means for cooling' theresiduum ot' distillation; andl means formolding'the residuum of distillation into briquets for fuel purposes.

T. A distillation device comprising stills, each open at its lower endportions, and each comprising an upper vapor-space and having' avapor-exit, passages each connecting' the lower open end portion of onestill with that of another, a feed-inlet, a discharge-outlet, andheating' means.

8. A distillation device comprising stills, each open at its lower endportions, and each comprising` an upper vapor-space and having avapor-exit, passages each connecting the lower open-end portion of onestill with that of another, a feed-inlet, a discharg'e-outlet, means formoving' material through the stills, and heating' means.

9. A distillation device comprising stills, each open at its lower endportions, and each comprising an Lipper vapor-space and having avapor-exit, passages each connecting the lower open-end portion of onestill with that ot' another, a feed-inlet, a discharg'e-outlet, meansinclosing' the discharg'e-outlet for cooling' the residuumofdistillation, and heating means.

l0. A distillation device comprising' stills, each open at its lower endportions, and each comprising an upper vapor-space and having aif'apor-exit, passages each connecting' the lower open-end portion ofone still with that o't' another, a 'feed-inlet, a discharge-outlet,means inclosing' the discharge-outlet for cooling the residuum of,distillation, means for moving' material through the stills, and heatingmeans.

IOO

IIO

IIS

- vaat-sea 1 1. A distillation device comprising con nected stills, eachwith elongated vertical crossseetion, an upper eonlined vapor-space, alower portion open at both ends, and vaporexits; and aconveyer in eachstill :For moving material therethrough.

i2. A distillation device comprising connected stills, each withelongated vertical cross-seetion, an upper eonh'ned vapor-space, a lowerportion open at both ends, and vaporexits; aconveyerin each still ilormoving niate rial therethrough; and a tapering dischargeoutlet.

13. A distillation device comprising connected stills, each withelongated vertical crosssection, anupper confined vapor-Space, a lowerportion open at both ends, and vaporexits; a eonveyer in each Still formoving niaterial therethrough; a tapering discharge-outlet, and acooling bath inelosing the latter.

1li. A distillation device comprising, in eonibination, connectedstille, each with elongated vertical croSs-section,an u pper conh'nedvaporepace, a lower portion open at both ends` and vapor-exits;conveyers in the stills having shafts geared together; a furnace; and acooling device.

l5. A distillation device comprising, in con1- hination, connectedstills, each with elongated vertical crose-seetion,an upper conlinedvapor- Space, a lower portion open at both ends, and vapor-exits; convevers in the stills having shafts geared together; a furnace; a coolingdevice; and ineans 'for forming the residuuni into briquets for fuelpurposes.

In testimony whereofl Al have atlixed my signature, in presence olf twowitnesses, this 29th dav oi June, 1901.

JOHN ',l. DAVlS. Vt'itnesses:

F. M. Binvr, J. J. IUn'r.

